Roller floor for furnaces



June29, 1937. w. H. PAYNE ROLLER FLOOR FOR FURNACES Filed Oct. 22, 1936 Patented June 29, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

The present invention relates to a roller floor for furnaces intended primarily for the handling of steel rails or similar elongated bars or materials under conditions in which it is desirable to make provision for different feeding speeds in order that'the rails or similar materials may be fed slowly through the furnace at a low speed and rapidly'ejected therefrom at the discharge end at a much higher rate of speed in order to eife'ct a quick discharge of the heated rail into a region of much lower temperature. Since the rails or other materials may vary in length, it is desirable to provide slow and fast driving mechanisms for the group of rolls composing the furnace floor, with suitable provision for individually clutching or connecting each of the rolls either to the fast or slow driving train, so

that any desired group arrangement of fast andslow speed rolls can be established, either throughout the entire furnace or so much thereof as requires the provision of differential feeding speeds. This enables the pickup in speed to be effected at any desired point throughout the length of the furnace, and avoids the necessity for any predetermination as to a fixed or set grouping of fast and slow speed rollers.

Further objects and details will appear from a description of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein,

Figure 1 is a fragmental plan view showing the floor of a, furnace employing the roller arrangement of the present invention, it being understood that the furnace may be of any length desired;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation taken on line 2 of Fig. 1, showing the fast and slow speed mechanism with the slow speed drive in train with the roller and the fast speed drive unclutched;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the fast speed drive clutched; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1, I illustrates one of the side walls of a furnace of indefinite length, and II illustrates one of the end walls, it being understood that the length and breadth of the furnace will be determined by the particular service for which it is intended, with suitable provision at the respective ends for the infeeding and discharge of rails or like materials which are to be heat treated within the furnace.

For purposes of illustration, it may be assumed that in Fig. 1 the left hand end represents the medial portion of the furnace where a slow feeding speed would ordinarily be employed, while the right hand end represents the discharge end of the furnace where it is desirable to accelerate the feeding speed for the quick discharge of the heated rails or similar elongated structures.

Throughout the length of the furnace, or so much thereof as requires difierential feeding, the floor is afforded by rolls I2 all of similar configuration and structure, so that a description of one will sufiice for all. Each of the rolls is tapered or reduced at each end I3 which extends through a tapered aperture I4 in the furnace wall, and the tapered ends of the rolls terminate in reduced journals I5, of which only the journal at the driving end for the rolls is illustrated.

As shown, the journal I5 is entered through a packing I6 of mineral wool or the like, which serves to prevent the escape of heat from the interior of the furnace; and the journal I5 is 2 mounted within a journal bearing H, which as shown is cored on its interior to provide a water jacket for the purpose of cooling the bearing. The bearings are suitably supported upon an angle bar I8 mounted alongside the wall I0, although obviously any suitable provision may be made for the support of the bearings.

Upon each of the journals I5 at the driving ends of the rollers is loosely mounted a slow speed sprocket wheel I9 having a hub 20 provided with ratchet teeth 2I which are adapted to engage with a spring pressed dog 22 pivotally mounted upon the rim 23 of a collar 24 which is secured by a key 25 to the journal I5. All of the slow speed sprockets I9 of the entire series are engaged by a slow speed sprocket chain 26 driven by a slow speed motor 21.

Where it is desired to impart a slow speed to a group of rolls, the driving is effected through the engagement of the sprocket chain 26 with the sprocket wheel I9, which imparts a thrust against the dog 22, which causes rotation of the collar 24 keyed to the journal I5.

The collar 24 is shouldered or reduced at its outer end to receive the hub 28 of a fast speed sprocket wheel 29 engaged by a fast speed sprocket chain 30 driven by a fast speed motor 3 I. The end of the hub 28 is adapted to be engaged by a clutch ring 32 which may be drawn inwardly by bolts 33 which thus serve to establish a clutching engagement between the fast speed sprocket 29 and the collar 24, so that when the parts are thus clutched together the fast speed sprocket will impart the feeding movement directly to all of the journals I5 which are in clutched relation with the fast feed sprocket chain, and in these circumstances the dog 22 will override the slower moving ratchet teeth 2! of the slow speed sprocket H). In these circumstances any group or number of the entire series of rolls may be clutched to stand in train with the fast speed drive and the remaining rolls will be driven at the slow speed, so that the furnace floor can be given the desired group arrangement to accommodate rails or similar materials of any length desired.

The construction is one which involves eX- treme simplicity in respect to the details of the feeding train, since all of the rolls will be similarly equipped with interchangeable fast and slow feeding connections at least in sofar as interchangeability in speed may ever be desirable, and this arrangement enables the operator to adjust the furnace in any desired manner, and particularly to provide a group of the desired number of fast speed rolls at the discharge endof the furnace to rapidly discharge the oncoming rails of whatsoever length.

Furthermore, by employing a single slow speed sprocket chain and a single fast speed sprocket chain for the entire series of rolls, absolute uniformity in. feeding speed will be maintained (Whether fast or slow speed), and the necessity for providing complicated driving trains for each of the .rolls singly is eliminated.

Although the invention has been described with particularity as to detail, it is not the intention,

unless otherwise indicated in the claims, to limit the invention to the precise form shown and described, since modifications may bemade there' in without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A furnace having a floor comprising a multiplicity of feeding rolls, a common slow speed driving mechanism adapted to impart a slow feeding speed to a selected number of the rolls and a common fast speed driving mechanism adapted to impart a fast speed to the same selected number of rolls, individual connecting means for each of the rolls and adapted to engage with the common slow speed driving mechanism to impart slow speed to the roll, and means individual to each of the selected rolls for selectively effecting driving engagement with the common fast speed driving mechanism. and adapted when engaged therewith to render ineffective the slow speed connecting means for the same roll. 1

2. A furnace having a floor comprising a multiplicity of feeding rolls, a common slow speed sprocket chain and a slow speed sprocket wheel for each of a selected number of rolls and connecting means for each of the selected rolls for imparting a slow rotation thereto from the slow speed sprocket wheel, a fast speed sprocket chain and a sprocket wheel on each of the selected rolls in train therewith, and fast speed connections for each roll adapted when engaged to impart fast rotation to the rolls so engaged and to render ineffective the slow speed connections with the same roll.

3. A furnace having a floor comprising a multiplicity of feeding rolls each having at one of its ends a driving journal extending exteriorly of the furnace, said journals being in alignment, a slow speed sprocket wheel freely mounted on each of said journals, a common slow speed sprocket chain in engagement with all of said slow speed sprocket wheels for imparting continuous slow rotation thereto, transmission means fast with each of said journals for engaging the associated sprocket'whe-el and effective to transmit slow rotation therefrom to the journal, a fast speed sprocket wheel associated with each of said journals, a fast speed sprocket chain in engagement with each of said fast speed sprocket wheels, and means for releasably engaging each of a selected number of said fast speed sprocket wheels with the associated transmission means for causing the latter'to override the associated slow speed sprocket wheel.

l. A furnace having a floor comprising a multiplicity of feeding rolls each having a journal extending exteriorly of the furnace, said journals being in alignment, a slow speed sprocket wheel for each journal freely mounted thereon, a dog and ratchet assembly for engaging the slow speed sprocket wheel with the associated journal to transmit motion from the slow speed sprocket wheel to the journal, a common slow speed 'driving chain for all of the slow speed sprocket Wheels, a fast speed sprocket'wheel for each of the journals, a common fast speed driving chain in engagement with all .of the fast speed sprocket wheels, and means for releasably engaging each of the fast speed sprocket wheels with the dog and ratchet assembly for causing the latter tooverride the associated slow'speed sprocket wheel.

,5. A furnace having a floor comprising a multiplicity of feeding rolls each terminating in a journal extending exteriorly of the furnace, the journals being in alignment, each journal having freely mounted thereon'a slow speed sprocket wheel, a common slow speed chain in engagement with all of the slow speed sprocket wheels, a

ratchet associated with each of the slow speed sprocket wheels, a dog coacting with each of mounting for the dog for causing the latter to override the associated ratchet.

6. A furnace having a floor comprising a multiplicity of feeding rolls each terminating in a journal extending exteriorly of the furnace, the journals being in alignment, each journal having freely mounted thereon a slowrspeed sprocket wheel, a common slow'speed' chain 'in engagement with all of the slow speed sprocket wheels, a ratchet associated with each of the slow speed sprocket wheels, a dog coacting with each of said ratchets, a mounting for each of said dogs in rigid engagement with the associated journal, the dog and ratchet assembly being adapted to impart slow speed rotation from the freely mounted slow speed-ratchet wheel to the associated journal, a fast speed sprocket wheel for each journal freely journalled upon the mounting for the dog, a fast speed sprocket chain in engagement with all of the fast speed sprocket wheels, and clutching means for each journal adapted to releasably engage the fast speed sprocket wheel with the dog mounting for causing the associated dog to override the associated tiplicity of feeding rolls, a fast and slow speed driving assembly for each of said feeding rolls, each assembly comprising a slow speed driving member and transmission elements adapted to engage said slow speed driving member with the associated r011, means for imparting a slow speed to all of said slow speed driving members, a fast speed driving member for each roll, means for imparting a fast speed to all of said fast speed driving members, and means for releasably engaging each of said fast speed driving members with the associated roll and for rendering ineffective the transmission elements coacting with the associated slow speed driving member.

WILLIAM HARVEY PAYNE. 

